The present invention relates generally to bicycle carriers, and more specifically to the carriers which are mounted on the back of a vehicle.
The present invention relates to bicycle carriers adapted to be mounted on the backs of vehicles. Bicycle carriers of that type are conventional, e.g., see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,710,999; 3,927,811; 4,332,337; 4,428,516; 4,513,897; and 4,830,250. It is common for a carrier to have first and second U-shaped mounting members which are seatable against upper and lower portions of the rear end of a vehicle, respectively. The carrier is attached to the vehicle by means of straps which are connected to the carrier and which carry hooks adapted to grasp portions of the vehicle. The mounting members are pivotable relative to one another. Consequently, the angle formed between the mounting members can be adjusted to enable the carrier to fit different vehicle configurations. A pair of supporting arms project rearwardly for receiving a bicycle. The supporting arms include bent ends or adjustable brackets which form cradles on which a bar of the bicycle frame is laid.
Prior art carriers have exhibited certain shortcomings. For example, although the angle formed by the mounting members can be adjusted to enable the carrier to be mounted on vehicles of different configurations, it may be necessary for the user to experiment with various angles in order to determine which angle is appropriate. Such time-consuming procedure may be required every time that the carrier is re-attached to the same vehicle or switched between different vehicles.
Furthermore, in the event that a user attempts to mount more than one bicycle on the carrier, the bicycles may tend to swing toward and away from one another as the vehicle is in motion, thereby repeatedly clashing with one another.
Also, the frame of the bicycle may tend to become scratched by metal-to-metal contact with the cradles.
It would be desirable to provide a bicycle carrier which can be mounted on the rear of a vehicle and which alleviates the above-explained shortcomings as well as others.
In view of the above described deficiencies associated with the use of known designs for bicycles carriers, the present invention has been developed to alleviate these drawbacks and provide further benefits to the user. These enhancements and benefits are described in greater detail hereinbelow with respect to several alternative embodiments of the present invention.
The present invention in its several disclosed embodiments alleviates the drawbacks described above with respect to conventionally designed rear mounted bicycle carriers and incorporates several additionally beneficial features.
Such a bicycle carrier is provided by the present invention, the carrier comprising first and second mounting members and a pair of horizontally spaced bicycle supporting arms connected to the mounting members for receiving at least one bicycle. A securing mechanism is provided for securing the mounting members to the rear end of a vehicle. A pivot-forming arrangement is provided which forms a pivot connection between the mounting members to enable the mounting members to pivot relative to one another about a generally horizontal pivot axis between a plurality of adjusted positions for adjusting an angle formed between the mounting members. The pivot-forming arrangement includes indicia corresponding to each of the adjusted positions of the mounting members, and means for indicating the respective indicia when the mounting members are in each of the adjusted positions.
Preferably, each of the mounting members is U-shaped and comprises a pair of legs. The pivot-forming mechanism comprises a pair of first brackets connected to the legs of the first mounting member, and a pair of second brackets connected to the legs of the second mounting member. Each of the first brackets is pivotably connected to one of the second brackets to define generally horizontal pivot axis. The indicia are disposed on one of the brackets and are visible through an opening formed in another of the brackets.
Another aspect of the invention involves a bicycle carrier comprising a mounting frame, and a pair of bicycle supporting arms projecting rearwardly from the mounting frame. At least one cradle is mounted on each of the supporting arms for cradling a bicycle frame. Each of the cradles is formed of a flexible material and includes a base mounted on a respective supporting arm, and a retaining strap. The base forms a bicycle-engaging surface and includes first fastening means. The strap is arranged to be extended across the bicycle-engaging surface to retain a bicycle frame thereon. The strap includes a second fastening means engageable with the first fastening means for fastening the strap in its bicycle frame-retaining position.
Preferably, the base and strap are of one-piece construction, and the first fastening means comprises a tab, and the second fastening means comprises a plurality of apertures.
Still another aspect of the invention involves a bicycle carrier comprising a mounting frame and a pair of bicycle supporting arms projecting rearwardly from the mounting frame. Each of the supporting arms has cradling means for supporting at least one bicycle. An anti-sway bar hangs downwardly from at least one of the supporting arms for resisting swinging movement of a bicycle. The anti-sway bar can be positioned between two bicycles mounted onto the supporting arms in order to prevent bicycle-to-bicycle contact during movement of the vehicle. Alternatively, the anti-sway bar can resist the rearward swinging of a single bicycle mounted on the carrier.
Preferably, a lower end of the anti-sway bar is hook-shaped, and configured to snap onto the other supporting arm when the carrier is stored.
The beneficial effects described above apply generally to the exemplary devices and mechanisms disclosed herein of the rear mounted bicycle carriers. The specific structures through which these benefits are delivered will be described in detail hereinbelow.